Wild Ruins B.C. by Dave Hamilton – reviewed by Duncan Harley


I have to confess that I have a vested interest in this book. Some time ago, it may have been in early 2018, a fellow author by the name of Dave Hamilton got in touch to say that he was penning a book and had stumbled across an image of mine on a photo-sharing platform. And could he use it please.
Which image? Was my response. ‘The one about Covesea’ was Dave’s reply and I was hooked, lined and sinkered. By which I mean that I was intrigued. 

I knew that the image was fine, a few kind folks had already admired it after all. But, to date at least, it had failed to make print publication.

As it turned out, Dave was in fact penning a tome about more than just Covesea. The blurb about his book reads something like ‘Wild Ruins B.C. and reveals the extraordinary tale of Britain's human story before Christianity, from the first human footprints of 800,000 years ago, to ancient axe factories, rock art, stone circles, mountain burials, sunset hill forts, lost villages and temples to the dead. Detailed instructions on how to visit each site comes with GPS co-ordinates and region maps. 
Wide family appeal - cuts across generations and brings history alive - also appeals to walkers and history buffs/bucket lists - including best for kids, walkers, pubs, wildlife, views, adventurers, photographers and picnics an odyssey through our nation's rich and wild prehistory. Stunning photography and design throughout … and so on.  I was intrigued and obtained a copy.

And having read and digested the words and the images within, I am not at all surprised at the vast descriptor. It is in fact, one of those rare tomes which I am happy to include amongst my mainly fully laden bookshelves.

In his introduction Dave Hamilton talks about ‘being free to fill in the blanks’ and ‘imagining what life must have been like to walk along the highways’ of that ancient world. ‘Get out and walk these hills’ says Dave. ‘Walk these ancient highways, and experience the pre-historic world.’
The core of this book is of course a detailed description of the ancient sites which inhabit our landscape. Split into easy to use categories and with a helpful timeline and a walking/strolling guide geared to all abilities and interests the included two hundred or so ruins are detailed alongside some 100 breath taking images clearly illustrating the importance of these hidden treasures which survive within our modern-day landscape.

Superbly illustrated throughout, this clearly written travel-guide to the past will inform both the casual coffee-table user and provide an exhaustive reference source for outdoor folk intent on extreme pre-history bagging. Oh, and my wee image is on P239 just in case you are wondering.


Wild Ruins B.C. by Dave Hamilton is available from Amazon. 272 pages. ISBN 9781910

Location: Scotland, UK

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